Saturday, June 6, 2015 – Wisconsin K9 SOS Search & Rescue held their 4th “Amazing Race- themed” training event at the Oregon Sportsman’s Club. Teams from WI, MN and IL will be given GPS coordinates or addresses to stations around Oregon, Madison, Monona and McFarland. When teams arrive, they must complete the activity at the station to earn their next GPS coordinate. All activity stations are search & rescue related, such as K9 searches and navigation skills.

Each of the teams will be performed; K9 search stations involving; trailing, cadaver, live area scent, scent theory, ground searcher stations, compass navigation, GPS navigation 1st aid and more. Our goal for the Amazing Race training is to practice our navigation skills in vehicles and in the field, practice a wide range of skills we use during searches (K9 first aid, search problems for dogs, map & compass exercises), and have a lot of fun doing it! Teams compete for the fastest time completing the course, and earn small prizes and bragging rights until the next “race.”

About Wisconsin K9 SOS: WI K9 SOS was incorporated in 2005 as a volunteer, non-profit organization, and we never charge for our services, dedicated to the safe and efficient recovery of lost or missing persons. Our 6 founding members all had several years of experience in SAR (search & rescue) prior WI K9 SOS, and we bring an exceptional level of experience and training to our work. We respond to searches in WI and neighboring states. As a search & rescue K9 unit, we provide the following services; search for missing persons (live or deceased) on land, water, and in buildings. We have a side scan sonar unit to assist us in water searches. We can also provide incident command personnel, field support personnel, computer operations, and search strategy support.

Members receive training in 1st Aid, CPR, K9 first Aid, search strategy, scent theory, report writing, crime scene preservation, radio communication, map and compass, GPS (global positioning system), as well as computer software to analyze and map GPS data. For more information on Wisconsin K9 SOS Search & Rescue, call 866-945-9767, email [email protected] or visit us at www.wik9sos.org, www.facebook.com/WIK9SOS.

About K9 SOS Team Members: All of our members receive background checks prior to team membership. Our members receive training in 1st Aid, CPR, K9 first Aid, search strategy, scent theory, report writing, crime scene preservation, radio communication, map and compass, GPS (global positioning system), as well as computer software to analyze and map GPS data. WI K9 SOS provides detailed reports to agencies after a response, including our map and GPS data. Many of these skills will be required to run the race!